The Worshippers of the Dragonkin
The Dragonkin Worshippers are a powerful empire spanning across the northern waste lands that we know as the Wilderness. They hold their own religion, built from the discovery of a dragon cache in the past and they believe that the Dragonkin are deities betrayed and usurped by the False Idols that the south call Gods. : The site for the Worshippers of the Dragonkin may be found here. History A blood-spattered history, the Worshippers of the Dragonkin originated in caves, hiding for their lives and clinging to what little they had. It was through a single discovery, a miracle, that led to these tribals expanding rapidly into a barbaric empire. Early roots The Worshippers' society took time to grow. The initial tribe was miniscule at best, several dozen ragtag individuals and a small pack of domesticated wolves. It was a mutual benefit, the wolves helped hunt, the humans killed, and the two would share the kill. Early on, it was the tribe known as the "Reavers" who fought the Worshippers in earnest. Twice the size and thrice the brutality, the Reavers were hardened fighters. Formation The Reaver push continued, until the Chieftain of the Worshippers decided it was time to fight back. In a sneak attack upon the Reaver camp, the leader of the Reavers was set before the Chief, scalped, and forced to assimilate into the Worshippers. Upon the two Chiefs meeting and communing more closely, they found their tribes worked well together, but there was still an even larger threat present. The Worshipper Seer saw in his dreams a cache of red metal, stained with blood between the rising sun and the northern star. Convincing the Chieftain, the tribe pushed Northeast, outside their own territory and into that of the Monussins. With their runes and their fortifications of stone, the Monussins proved to be a massive threat to the Worshippers, cornering them within a cave near the territory. This was, all to the Seer's plans. Inside were a few dozen weapons. Dragon metal, untouched by time. Within, the Kronesian was met, ordering the strongest among them to bear the hide armour and red weaponry, the formation of the Prometheans, the first true Caste. The weapons, finer steel the Reavers took from bandits from the far south soon found it's way to the lower warriors, as the Monussins slaughtered the weaker men left to guard the entrance. With the Kronesian, the Tribals won the day, not only forcing their way out, but forcing the Monussins into surrender. The Chieftain of the Worshippers was henceforth reffered to as the Gaiaximus. The Kronesian spoke to them from his red armour, revealing that the cache was a gift from their Gods, the Dragonkin. It wasn't long that the Kronesian's words and the beliefs of the tribals led to the formation of a religion, and from the religion a crusade to help the damned souls who refused the true Lords see the light. The Birth of the Caste System With the Reaver's raw brutality, the survival skills of the original tribe, and the building talent of the Monussins, the initial caste system was built. While some from each tribe also moved to form the Religious Caste, in these early days the castes were still vague. The Religious were strictly scholarly, the Specialists merely hunters of food and water, the Military an unformed horde, and the Labour caste still raw in potential. However, this unity put them a step above the even larger tribes in power, and above the bandits in size. With some losses, the Worshippers integrated many into their society of varying races and backgrounds, placing each into what they knew best to do. Eventually during the Fifth Age, the sight of a large castle, ruined in the distance along the Eastern Coasts was spotted. Deciding it a worthy place for a capital, the Worshipper leaders spoke on how to treat it. Age of Advancement As the Worshippers began to rise to power and what they perceived as glory, they decided it was best not to keep it all to themselves, but to have the rest of the World share it. The armies began to advance, in crusade against the Gods who wronged their Lords as their faith dictated, as well as saving the souls of the heathenous South. The Conquest of Daemonheim With a large force attacking in the middle of the night, the Worshippers assaulted Daemonheim. Hardy, well armed and strong soldiers protected it, but without any warning the Fremennik could not stop the Worshipper assault. Their resistance to change notable, the Fremennik refused to bow to the Worshippers, a confusing thing for them. Unable to assimilate them, the Worshippers decided to name this new group "Persae," or Slaves. As Daemonheim was captured, the Kronesian declared it a Holy Citadel of the Dragonkin, the temple they long searched for. Establishing it as a capital, tents and reconstruction were set upon the ruins, slave labour allowing the Labour Caste to spend less time on meaningless, easy tasks and more on difficult designs and crafting. Persae who refused to work, were often sent into Daemonheim rather than given honourable executions. The Misthalani War The Worshippers now held the keys to thriving, beyond what the Tribal ancestors could have even imagined. Dionytes, Religious warriors, fought Warbands to the West to absorb into their own ranks, increasing the size further onward. Concentrating at Daemonheim and the River Lum source, the Worshippers decided it was time to spread their glory, their culture, to the South. Starting with the odd groups of priests and crafters peacefully, the Worshippers had little success in converting Southerners. It was decided the only way to do so, was to properly attack. The Advance army first made their move on Misthalin, quickly gaining control over its lands, battle after battle. As the fighting continued a number of factions found themselves involved in the fighting to repel the Worshippers, these included the Worshippers, the Coalition (a group of allies all fighting against the Worshiper threat), Terrowin's army and the Chosen Battalion. As the war waged on, many died and great disasters such as the flooding of Lumbridge took place. In the end a cease-fire was agreed upon and the Worshippers retreated to the dead lands of Forinthy, now with a damaged military but a fine force of slaves taken from the south. Retreating to Daemonheim briefly, the Worshippers rethought their approach and planned for a return. Battling for Varrock... This time with them! During operations in the south a group of Specialists learned of an attack on Varrock staged by the Zamorakian Warlord Russia. Seeking to maintain ties with the existing leader, Katrina Lansig, the Worshippers sent some of their Advance party south once more, bolstering the ranks of Misthalin's army against the assault. Straton Kull and South Asgarnia While more spies were South to deal with the issue of Russia, some eventually heard of Straton Kull Ryder. Straton Kull, a war hero of the Misthalini war, had left the Worshippers and may have divulged information to the Ryder family. Atinaese Lycan Roach of the Specialists sent Artemisians to bring Straton back alive. Finding he was working to preserve the Worshipper's future though the Ryder family, they regerettibly let him live. Soon, Straton Kull's position as a Lord was rewarded as Hayley Spears dissolved Asgarnia into many pieces. Straton gained leadership of Sarim and Rimmington, while the Religious caste previously stationed in the Grotworm caves emerged to support Straton's attempt. The Ryders fled, not wishing to make conflict. It wasn't long until the Prometheans Ataleus and Aegus arrived with forces from the North, marching along the shifting borders through the chaos. Straton Kull acted without guidance, hasty and bold in his motions, he had Galastus Grey assassinated by Asgarnians. In retaliation, Varis Grey sent the Sicarius to deal with Straton Kull, where the Sicarius soon found Worshippers patrolling the area. After killing an Epimethean, Straton Kull was poisoned and teleported to Daemonheim where he proceeded to be pronounced dead. Without Straton, Southern Asgarnia fell to pieces. The Worshippers maintained occupation, but had little knowledge of the daily lives of Southern Asgarnians to run them. Seeking new leaders under them, the Worshippers eventually found a band of Eastern traders and mercenaries who independently worshipped dragons. Trying to convert them, it was a few days until the Battle of Lumbridge. Age of Heretical Notion The Worshippers were not thrilled with the coming of the Sixth Age, though many of the Religious leaders claimed their attempt to wipe out the Southern God's influences made the Gods wish to appear. Feeling slightly vain in this respect, the Worshippers were called to Daemonheim under orders of the Kronesian. Aside from the Religious in the Grotworm temple, some farmers who could pose easily as commoners, and some specialists mingling with the Gods' armies for spy work, the Worshippers went to Kethsi, a staging realm for them to await the time of their return. Religion The Worshippers of the Dragonkin see all Dragonkin as their Gods. They refer to them by this name or their religious title "the Winged Lords". Worshipper belief is that the Dragonkin were the original overlords/ Gods of Gielinor until they were betrayed and usurped by the Gods of the South "the False Idols". Very few Dragonkin are known to the Worshippers by name however they have heard of Kerapec, whom is considered one of the greatest amongst their Gods. Their opinion towards southern society is that they are blinded by their worship of the False Idols whom decieve them and that they must be cleansed of their heretic practices. This usually means by converting the populace and eliminating all religious symbols, including anyone who refuses to renouce their faith, usually either enslaving them or killing them. They refer to the False Idols by a number of names; Saradomin: The Idol of the Four Point Star Guthix: The Balanced Idol Zamorak: The Arched Idol Bandos: The Grotesque Idol Armadyl: The Fleeting Idol Zaros: The Enigmatic Idol All other Gods are currently unknown to the Worshippers. Those who are Godless are considered neutral and unimportant to the Worshippers however they would preferably convert the Godless if they can. Since the assassination of Guthix those who previously worshipped him are considered neutral. Notable Worshippers *The Gaiaximus - Ehriss Draugenstuth, the figurehead and spiritual leader of the Worshippers. *The Kronesian - The God-General of the Worshippers. *The Zealot - The Kronesian's Apprentice. *The Martyr - The Head of the Promethean Caste. *Pyralis Holyflame - The Head of the Religious Caste. *Kreios Godsplitter - The Head of the Military Caste. *"Creed" - The pseudonym of the secretive Head of the Specialist Caste. *Ataleus - A calm tempered Promethean, Ataleus is known for leading the invasion of Misthalin. *Alexander- A brutal, yet tactful Promethean, Alexander led the final Worshipper attack on Edgeville. Worshipper Cities Daemonheim Daemonheim is the capital of the Worshippers empire, once nothing more than a large citadel surrounded by fremennik tents and ruins of old, the Worshippers have since built a great city around the citadel that fills many southern hearts with fear. *Tier 1 - The lowest area of Daemonheim, usually populated by slaves. *Tier 2 - The working area, many workshops dot the second tier. Weapon and armour repairs are done here, as well as housing for building maitenence. *Tier 3 - The Lodging for Specialists, Military, and Religious cover the third tier, as well as the Grand Temple, the main Religious location. The Arena is also here, where honour duels and trials for leadership take place. *Tier 4 - Reserved for Leadership, Atinaese of Rates and Castes, Epimetheans, and Prometheans. The Promethean tower extends far underground, allowing them places to remove their armour and bathe. *Tier 5 - Daemonheim Castle lays on the very top, a monument in the eyes of the Worshippers to the Dragonkin's glory. The castle allows only the Gaiaximus to sleep there, though Atinaese, Prometheans, some Dionytes, and the Kronesian himself are allowed within. North Chaele North Chaele is a mining city in the north of the Wilderness, built around the Rogues Castle. North Chaele holds the largest population of Persae in all of Forinthy and is also a leading manufacturer of weapons and armour. The houses in this area are mostly made up off stone and timber, however the Labour caste are known to live in former scorpion hives within the Scorpion Pit Mine. The Military Caste are mostly set up in Castle Chaele in the barracks. Vulcan's Lament (Information to be added) The Castes The Leadership *Atinaese - The Leadership Caste. Similar to the Gaiaximus, Atinaese are ranked higher than Prometheans, though the Prometheans' refusal to bow to anyone has them usually viewed as higher. Because their talent later in life was great enough to head their castes, many have earned the right to wield artifacts, from effigies to cermonial weaponry. *Promethean - Prometheans are the Elite fighters of the Worshippers. They are selected to join the Epimetheans at youth, with only a hundred joining the Promethean ranks. The Gaiaximus is said to have 20 follow him at all times. Each Promethean aspires to own their own dragon weapon, but many either turn them down out of pride in what carried them so far, or still are not part of the higher Echelon to obtain them. All Prometheans spend their first days in the guard force, before moving onto the Blades, where they independently do missions. The 20 best Blades are known as the Higher Echelon, the true force of tactical and physical prowess of the Worshipper Empire. *Epimethean - The Outer Prometheans. These are the Promethean Juveniles, they are those that are training to become Promethean. Very highly trained, heavily armed fighters, Epimetheans have access to Mithril, amazing for their younger age. There are never more than 500 Epimetheans at a time, though around half will die during the training to become an "Ascended" Epimethean, on the road to becoming a Promethean themselves. The Military *Aresians - Warriors of the main force of Worshippers, Aresians fight. Simply put, they can be anything from lightly armoured to heavily, though for the most part, they fight with lighter, easier to obtain armour. As they are not specialized warriors, some may think they are an easy fight. Those some have not seen the terror a horde of Aresians can cause. *Apollites - Archers of the Worshippers, Apollites prefer to move among the Militant ranks, giving long-range support to their fellow Caste members. Due to the rarity of wood in the Wilderness, what they lacked in supply was made up for by skill. Now that the South's wood has been cut, however; they have become a serious threat on the battlefield. *Seidonians - Worshipper Magi typically practice only one school of magic, Fire. Seidonians of an average rank will use standard fire, higher ranked and talented ones will shape it for ceremonial use They also have a sub-cult movement, aiming to replicate and use Dragonfire on the battlefield. *Hermites - Typically when a warrior loses a limb, grows old and approaches death, they change from the Caste they entered to the Hermites. The Hermites are banner armed men and women, set to run into battle and attack with the banners themselves. It is considered an honorable death, and a good beginning to war. *Atinaese - The origin of the term Atinaese, the Atinaese rate is a step above the average soldier, taught to use tactics as a proper officer, Atinaese often use hybrid techniques and their mental capacity to outwit opponents, but admittedly lack in duel situations compared to leaders of the various military rates. The Specialists *Artemisian - The loners of the Worshippers. Unlike their Apollite counter-parts, Artemisians rarely move in groups of more than five. They are the Worshipper equivalent to assassins, studying the way of the South to blend perfectly into crowds, and then strike at a target publicly, causing widespread terror and insecurity. Artemisians are usually armed with bows and traps, as the hunters they originated from. It is wise to think every single one would be poisoned. *Metisarrie - Spies of the Worshippers, Metisarries are the eyes and ears of the Empire. They watch the south for important mobilizations of troops, or simply key events. Metisarrie sometimes overlap into Artemisian business, but it's more often the two work together. Metisarrie are typically the best smelling of the Worshippers, since their job requires complete submersion into "Heretic" Culture. Metissairrie are mental predators, aiming to trap their opponents in webs of lies with logic. *Cerberite - The ferocious cavalry of the Worshippers, Cerberites are Dragonwolf riders. Armed with long spears and curved blades, they are more than capable of fighting in light, but protective armor on their own. Their mounts have teeth and claws as hard as adamantite, with limited fire-breath capabilities, and a pack instinct. The bond between a Cerberite and his wolf is closer than any, and many Cerberites will commit suicide should their mount die in battle. Those who don't, often join the military wearing the hides of their mount as armour. The Religous *Dionytes - The Warrior-Priests of the Worshippers, Dionytes retrieve holy artifacts, such as effigies and dragon weapons, and attend hunts to capture or kill Dragons as a test of skill. Dionytes follow a very close code of the Worshipper faith in combat, and very rarely remove their masks or hoods around outsiders. *Hadeans - The Interpretors. Hadeans interpret relics that return to them, deciding exactly what they mean. They are powerful speakers, and usually the least likely of Worshippers to enter combat or kill a Heretic. To have the Hadean's hatred is considered horrible, for many of the devout will strike you down for their protection. Perhaps they don't fight, because they are simply influential enough to not need to. *Tiresians - The Divine energy gatherers, finders, and users. They travel the lands, searching for the best sources of divine energy, while researching uses for it and using it to create powerful objects and useful tools. Typically, they are rended blind to sense energy with better accuracy and "see" though the auras, outlines of people seen through the power within them. The searcher-gatherers tend to move around constantly, always looking for more energy. The Labour *Hephaestians - The smiths, sculptors, and inventors of the Worshippers. They are respected by all with a faint, mystical awe at their mastery of fire to create weaponry. This is simply because the Worshipper faith believes the Dragonkin did similar to shape the earth. *Hestians - The architects, artisans, and repair team of the Worshippers. They keep a good maintenance on holy sites, as well as design and build the structures made by the Empire. Their greatest achievement thus far was the "Worshipper Wall" that locked Misthalin away from the world. *Demetreans - The farmers, shepherds and resource gatherers. These are the men and women of the Worshippers who put food on everyone else's plates. Their work is toiling soil and watching the goats and other animals kept. The Outsiders Never considered equal. *Persae - Slaves. These men and women are heretics unwilling to bend to Worshipper rule, and are punished with the binds of chains and rags. They do a lot of menial labour around the Empire, until they die. Their children are taken and raised as Worshippers, so they try to hide them. Persae are the least respected group among Worshippers. *Haerakt - Heretics. Outside men and women who follow any gods, and deny the Dragonkin faith. While Guthixians are now no longer treated with hostility, or the agnostic Easterner, all others are subject to heavy scrutiny from the Sacred Children of the Worshippers. *Cuhnvardts - Converts to the Worshipper Faith, the only respected group of the "Outsiders." They slowly are integrated into a new caste after finding their specialties, but in many cases they go to Military, Labour, or Specialist castes due to experiences as a Haerakt. *Suudeni - A Worshipper term for anyone from the South, it is often used as an insult and a sign of weakness. Life in the Worshippers Daily Life Like most societies daily life is dependant on what place you hold in society. Though there is a certain pattern that is applicable to all Worshippers. Most Worshippers are early risers, usually enjoying a breakfast meal at home and spending the morning hours training or attending Dragonkin sermons, as the day continues they usually begin work, most Worshippers work throughout the day however for the more combat orientated Worshippers this work can either be training, patrols or missions. As the day closes Worshippers usually return home to eat with their families or fellow caste members (or their Dragon-Wolves if they are Cerberites) and then they all return home to end the day. The lifestyle of the Worshippers is centred around violence and physical prowess, you are judged more on your abilities then you are on your name or your wealth. Worshippers are bred from a young age to know how to fight and how to kill. Growing Up From birth you are usually cared for by your parents, whom would teach the Dragonkin faith until a time when you are ready to begin life preparation. This usually begins at the age of five, this is done by Hadeans who teach children the Dragonkin faith in more detail and the Atinaese rate who teach basic Worshipper skills such as formations and weapon-handling. Epimetheans are selected as young as age seven, while the rest continue on with basic education. At around the age of ten, children are split into different groups where they train to specialise in specific skills, for example a faster more agile youth might be chosen to become an Artemisian where as a less physically talented Worshipper might be chosen to become a Demetrean. After their specialisation is chosen they spend the next eight years of their life training to become what they have been chosen to become, this process is different for all specialisations, for example those wishing to become Prometheans train extensively partaking in some seriously physically and mentally draining forms of training, leaving them with great physical and mental strength, assuming they survive. After they reach manhood at the age of eighteen they officially become parts of their rates (with the exceptions of the Promethean Caste in which you begin as Epimetheans or the Atinaese specialisation which you must be promoted to by proving your abilities as a tactician as well as showcasing your abilities.) They serve their Castes usually until around they become elders, after which most physically active Worshippers choose to aide their Winged Lords as Hermites, while more mentally leaning ones such as Hadeans or Seidonians will continue to serve within their rate for life. The Language Worshipper tongue is unlike any other language currently in existence. It derives from old Forinthian and bears slight similarities to Germanic, however it is a very different language. The Worshipper Tongue is partly made up of animalistic sounds such as grunts, growling ect. It is a very beastial tongue. Trivia Gallery Wotd flag.png|The Flag of the Dragonkin Worshippers 180px-Dragonkin-statue.png|A statue of one of our Winged Lords Dragonkin masonry.png|A mural depicting the Dragonkin creating a Dragon Map of Forinthy.PNG|Forinthy, the main settlement of the Dragonkin Worshippers Prom Tower.png|Concept Art for the Promethean Tower Category:Organization Category:POC Category:Religion Category:Faction Category:Location Category:Military Category:Plots Category:Antagonist Category:In-Character History Category:Warrior Category:Wars Category:Dragonkin Category:Custom Content Category:Dragonkin Worshippers